Urdhva Hastasana arises out of Tadasana. In this pose the sides of the body are full stretched and the spine lifted. By practicing the pose one feels rejuvenated and light.

1. Find an even surface and stand with the feet together. Look down at the feet as this will help you to be more conscious of them. Bring the big toes to touch evenly together and press the balls of the big toes down. Keep them pressing down as you spread the weight to the inner heels and outer edges of the feet. Distribute the weight evenly on both feet.

2. Take your fingers to the thighs and looking at the thighs press them back until you feel the weight come onto the front edge of the heels. Do not shift or move the feet about. You will notice that with weight on the heels, the thighs lift the kneecaps up and the legs become firm and straight.
3. Keeping the thighs back, take one hand to the lower belly and the other hand to the buttocks. As you lift the pit of the belly up, draw the buttocks down. This lifts the pelvis to vertical, prevents the buttocks from sticking out, and minimizes arching of the lower back. Keep the legs firm and straight.
4. Maintain the position and actions of the feet, thighs and pelvis as you roll the thighs in so the knees point straight forward.
5. Now spread and open the chest, by turning the upper arms out, and bring the shoulder blades into the back. This is Tadasana
6. Now, extend the arms to front and in line with the shoulders. Keep the arms firm, straight and parallel with the fingers extended and the palms facing each other.
7. With an inhalation raise the arms to vertical so that they are in line with the ears. Do not let the back arch and work to maintain tadasana in the trunk.
8. Stay in this pose for up to a minute as you quietly lift the trunk and extend the arms. If the arms remain bent then take the palms wider apart and stretch from the inner elbows to the palms to make the arms straighten.

General Guidelines: An open mind, empty stomach, and bare feet are recommended. Do not strain or force any movements.

Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Pay special attention to breath and body alignment. Hold each pose for a minimum of five inhalations/exhalations (about half a minute).

1. Stand with your feet completely together, heels and base of big toes touching; weight centered through the front of the heels.

2. Arms at your side (no hands on hips!), fingertips drip down to the floor.
3. Roll your thighbones off one another, pelvis in “neutral” alignment.
4. Broaden your collarbones and roll your shoulders back.
5. Chin level with the floor, keep the crown of the head spiraling upward, spine straight.
6. Engage abdominal muscles.
7. Breathe with the ujjayi breath, in through the nose—out through the mouth with a slight “ha” sound.

General Guidelines: An open mind, empty stomach, and bare feet are recommended. Do not strain or force any movements.

Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Pay special attention to breath and body alignment. Hold each pose for a minimum of five inhalations/exhalations (about half a minute).

1. Sit in “Sukhasana” (easy crossed-legged pose). If your hips are higher than your knees, place a towel-roll or folded blanket under your buttocks to level out hips and knees. NOTE: One leg may be placed out in front of the other if this is too uncomfortable.

2. Inhale both arms overhead, palms face one another.
3. Drop your shoulders on the exhale. Sit tall through the crown of your head.
4. Inhale again, exhale the right arm down to the floor.
5. As you breathe, you inhale and stretch the left arm to the ceiling—exhale and press the right hand into the floor. Stretch the rib cage area, freeing up the intercostal musculature.
6. Raise right arm up and on an inhale after five breaths.
7. Repeat on the second side.

General Guidelines: An open mind, empty stomach, and bare feet are recommended. Do not strain or force any movements.

Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Pay special attention to breath and body alignment. Hold each pose for a minimum of five inhalations/exhalations (about half a minute).

1. Stand in “Tadasana” to begin.

2. As you inhale, lift right arm up at side—palm facing the floor. When you reach shoulder height, rotate right palm up. Bring hand reaching over top of head, fingers going toward the opposite side.
   
   NOTE: Palm will ALWAYS face the floor, thus the reason it is rotated upon reaching shoulder level!

3. Left arm slides down the thigh, reaching the fingertips toward the floor.
4. Imagine your body is being pressed between two panes of glass, keep shoulders and hips aligned.
5. Breath for five cycles. Repeat on the second side.

General Guidelines: An open mind, empty stomach, and bare feet are recommended. Do not strain or force any movements.

Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Pay special attention to breath and body alignment. Hold each pose for a minimum of five inhalations/exhalations (about half a minute).

1. Sit “Japanese Style” buttocks/hips on top of heels. NOTE: You may place a towel roll or small folded blanket between buttocks and heels if necessary—the buttocks should rest on top of the heels at all times!

2. Raise arms overhead, inhale and fill the lungs.
3. Slowly exhale and lower arms to ground in front of the body, keeping buttocks/hips on the heels.
4. Palms stay outstretched, forearms off the floor. Forehead reaches toward the floor. Gaze is directed at the floor.
5. Breathe here for five cycles, letting the belly sink into the tops of the thighs.

General Guidelines: An open mind, empty stomach, and bare feet are recommended. Do not strain or force any movements.

Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Pay special attention to breath and body alignment. Hold each pose for a minimum of five inhalations/exhalations (about half a minute).

1. Sit on floor with legs straight out in front of you, in Dandasana (staff pose), then bend the left leg so that heel comes in contact with the right buttock and the knee stays on the floor.

2. Place right foot on the floor with a bent right knee, so that ankle of the right leg touches the left knee that is still flat on the floor (right ankle can extend just in front of left knee).
3. Inhale and reach left arm straight up into the air, move the right knee out of the way with the biceps of left arm and press the elbow of the left arm against the knee—grasp the knee of the left leg with the palm of the right hand.
4. Gently wrap right arm behind your back, either rest in on the floor or grasp the inner thigh of the left leg if possible.
5. Turn your head to the right and twist your face and shoulders to the right. Look out of the corner of your right eye.
6. Breathing may become difficult at first, with every inhalation release the posture slightly and then twist deeper with every exhalation.

General Guidelines: An open mind, empty stomach, and bare feet are recommended. Do not strain or force any movements.

Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Pay special attention to breath and body alignment. Hold each pose for a minimum of five inhalations/exhalations (about half a minute).

1. Lie on your back, heels together, toes apart, arms at your side with the palms facing up. Arms should be in a slight “A-Frame” position with the shoulders rolling back into the ground.

2. Keep the eyes closed, sinking them deep into their sockets.
3. Relax all the facial muscles.
4. Breathe deeply, allowing the belly to “go fat,” lifting it with every inhalation—lowering it with every exhalation.
5. Use this time to connect within yourself. Thank your body for allowing you this chance to use it in the practice of yoga. Connect with yourself.
6. Think ONLY of the present moment, practice a hand gesture or “mudra” with the thumb and first finger of each hand touching—relax all the other fingers.
7. When through, roll to your side into the fetal position and rest for a few minutes before getting up.

Zen yoga poses are part of an Oriental system that combines the practice of asanas with Traditional Chinese and Japanese Medicine. Postures are categorized according to the primary meridian they affect. A meridian can be understood as similar to a blood vessel, in that it has an energetic structure that corresponds with the human body, but which is instead a channel for energy to circulate (instead of blood).

The alignment of these exercises with specific meridians is what makes zen yoga such a powerful healing modality. In fact, teachers of this Oriental system emphasize its’ capacity to help treat the basic causes of illness.. This article will explore what is meant by that, and provide some illustration on
how zen yoga poses can be adapted to an individual’s problems.

Meridian exercises work by facilitating the natural flow of energy in areas where we experience blockages and stagnation. We may feel those areas of blockages as stiffness, aching, tension, pain, or simply a feeling of being uncomfortable. Zen poses open up their primary meridians, and as a result,
they dispel ‘ill’ energy, and allow healthy energy to flow instead.

A little background on meridians may be helpful. There are 12 meridians, and they are named after different organs of the body. So, we have the Lung meridian, large intestine meridian, Heart constrictor, triple heater, liver, gall bladder, spleen, stomach, heart, small intestine, kidney, and bladder.

It’s important to note that although these meridians each have an energetic relationship with the organ after which they are named, they are not just referring to the organ when we speak about them. Their primary meaning is an energetic reference, to a type of energy that runs along a specific
channel, which just happens to be associated with a physical organ as well. So, when Oriental practitioners and yoga teachers talk about a particular meridian being out of whack in some way, this definitely does not mean that our organs are! I emphasize this because a lot of people tend to get
alarmed by some of the terminology, and it just stems from a misunderstanding of the context in which it is being used.

By understanding how important the energetic aspect is in Oriental philosophy, it is easier to understand how they look at the symptoms of disease, illness, or any problems we feel in our bodies. Instead of focusing on the symptom itself, Oriental diagnosis looks at what is going on in the meridians,
and a healing approach is based on this, instead of a rigidly defined solution for a set of symptoms. What this means in practical terms, is that one person’s ideal solution to a bad back, or a stiff neck, may be very different to another’s.

The good news is that you don’t have to know a lot of theory to do zen yoga successful. And neither do you need to understand the intricacies of Oriental diagnosis to apply zen yoga exercises for your own specific problems. Masunaga offers this useful guide: “first find the exercise which is
hardest to do… and then look for another one which is the easiest… If doing the easiest exercise causes an improvement in the performance of the most difficult one, or relieves a … symptom, it is effectively reinforcing the Ki [energy] in the Kyo [deficient] meridian”.

Masunaga was a leading shiatsu teacher in Japan who organized meridian exercises into a system that people could use themselves. He actually wrote that the best way to learn about zen yoga poses, was to practice them! Zen yoga seems more difficult in theory than it is in practice. It’s actually
a very fun, playful and gentle style of yoga that can readily be adapted to any level of fitness and health. Like tai chi, it has great health benefits, which can be explored in more detail through classes or publications.

Standing Poses:
Tadasana – Mountain Pose
Urdhva Hastasana – Upward Facing Hands Pose
Uttitha Parsvakonasana – Extended Side Angle Stretch
Uttitha Trikonasana – Extended Triangle Pose
Parshvottanasana – Sideways Extension Pose
Virabhadrasana I & II – Warrior Poses
Utkatasana – Chair Pose
Banarasana – Lunge Pose

Seated Poses:
Virasana – Hero’s Pose
Badddha Konasana – Cobbler’s or Butterfly Pose
Kapotasana – Pigeon Pose
Dandasana – Staff Pose or Plank Pose
Sukhasana – Simple Crossed Legs Pose

Forward Folds:
Balasana – Child’s Pose
Adho Mukha Shvanasana Downward Facing Dog Pose
Uttanasana – Standing Forward Fold
Prasarita Padottanasana – Standing Wide Leg Forward Fold
Paschimottanasana – Seated Forward Fold
Janushirshasana – One-Leg Seated Forward Fold
Parsvatonasana – Standing Head to Knee
Upavishta Konasana – Seated Wide Leg Forward Fold

Back Bends:
Bhujangasana – Cobra Pose
Urdva Mukha Shavanasa – Upward Facing Dog Pose
Ustrasana – Camel Pose
Dhanurasana – Bow Pose
Urdva Dhanurasana – Full Back Bend
Setu Bhanda Sarvangasana – Bridge Pose

Balances:
Ardha Chandrasana – Half-Moon Pose
Vrikshasana – Tree Pose
Garudasana – Eagle Pose
Vasisthasana – Side Arm Balance

Other:
Ujaii. – Victory Breath
Chaturanga Dandasana – Low Plank Pose
Supta Padangushthasana – Reclined Leg in the Air Pose
Padangustasana – Leg in the Air Pose
Vinyasa – Flowing through poses.
Surya Namaskar – Sun Salute
Shavasana – Corpse or Relaxation Pose